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April 12, 2013

Russian Air Force Approves New Bomber Design – Commander

(RIA Novosti) – The Russian Air Force has approved the conceptual
design and specification of its future PAK-DA strategic bomber, paving
the way for development of components for the aircraft, Air Force
Commander Lt. Gen. Viktor Bondarev said Thursday.
“The development of the aircraft is going as planned. The outline of
its design and characteristics has been approved and all relevant
documents have been signed allowing the industry to start the
development of systems for this plane,” Bondarev said at a meeting with
Russian lawmakers.
The PAK-DA (meaning future long-range aircraft) project has been in
the works for several years but was given the formal go-ahead by the
Russian leadership last year. It is due to replace Russia’s aging fleet
of 63 Tupolev Tu-95MS Bear and 13 Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers in the next decade.
According to recent reports in the Russian media, citing defense
ministry sources, the Tupolev design bureau has won the PAK-DA
development tender with its concept for a subsonic aircraft with a
“flying wing” shape which provides superior “stealth capabilities.”
The Defense Ministry insisted that the PAK-DA should be equipped with
advanced electronic warfare systems and armed with new nuclear-capable
long-range cruise missiles in addition to a veriety of high-precision
conventional weapons.
The new bomber is expected to go in production by 2020 and will be
built at a new aircraft assembly line at Russia's Kazan plant (KAPO),
according to defense ministry officials. The same plant previously built
the Tu-95MS and Tu-160.